Two Laws

 

I’ve been working my way, bit by bit, through the book of Romans and have just arrived at the gloriously victorious first few verses of chapter 8.  But to get there, I had to work my way through chapter 7.  We’re probably all aware of the discouraging tone of verses 15-24:  “…For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do…For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good, I do not find.  For the good that I will to do, I do not do, but the evil I will not to do, that I practice…For I delight in the law of God, according to the inward man.  But I see another law within my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.  O wretched man that I am!  Who will deliver me from this body of death?”

In my Bible, I have circled all the “I’s”, “me’s” and “my’s” in those verses.  “I” shows up 23 times in my New King James version, “me” is there 6 times and “my” another 4.  (Just a hasty counting.  It may be off a little, if anyone actually checks up.)  This seems to indicate to me that this is the condition of someone who is trying by self-effort and will-power to live right.  Verse 25 introduces a new tone:  “I thank God - through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Then comes the exultant joy of chapter 8:1-4:  “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.  For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin:  He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement  of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” 

A law in physics is something that functions exactly the same way all the time, everywhere.  The law of gravity never fails.  If I drop something here or in China, at any time of day or in any season, it falls just as it always has.  Paul’s complaint in chapter 7,  specifically in verse 23, is about the law of sin in the members or parts of his body.  It is at work all the time to beat and defeat us.  We do not have the power in our own strength to defeat it.  Our will power may carry us for a while, but we always give in eventually, if our endeavour is by our own strength.  

We see airplanes take off and fly, apparently defying the law of gravity.  Actually, gravity is still at work, but another law, that of aerodynamics, the law of lift, is temporarily superseding it.  This gives us a picture of what Romans 8:2 is saying:  “…the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death”.  The law of sin, with its temptations and subsequent condemnation, guilt and shame, will always be there trying to drag us down, but there is victory over it by the greater law of the Spirit.  Any time we shut off the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we’re going down as surely as any jet that shuts off its power when it’s up in the air.

The law of Moses could not free us from this law of condemnation.  Though the Law itself was perfect, it was connected to a weak component, our sinful flesh.  All of mankind was born with a sin nature ever since Adam sinned.  We did not have to commit sin to qualify as sinners; we just had to be born as human beings.  Then our sinful nature caused us to sin.  It's a hopeless situation, "captivity to the law of sin".  But Paul gives us the answer.

Romans 8 starts out with “There is therefore now.”  This ability to live above condemnation is a present-tense, ongoing experience for the believer.  And then the word “no” means not one bit, nada, nil, zilch, zero, zip.  “There is therefore now no condemnation” for us who are in Christ Jesus.  How can this be?  All of our sin with its attached condemnation was laid on Jesus, who came “in the likeness of sinful flesh”.  He came in the flesh, but His flesh was not sinful flesh; it was only like sinful flesh.  He was the only One who ever lived sinlessly.  But by accepting our sin, our guilt and condemnation, He bought for us the freedom from the power of the law of sin and death.  

Some of us may feel we are disqualified because this is only for those who “do not walk according to the flesh but according to  the Spirit”, right?  But what does that mean?  Does it mean living really good lives, not yielding to temptation ever?  Thankfully, the answer to that is "no!" since that's impossible.  To walk according to the flesh refers here to conducting our lives or behaving and trying to do right in the power of our own abilities, exactly what Paul was describing in the previous chapter.  To walk according to the Spirit is to live our lives in the victory and power of the Holy Spirit who has been given to us and lives in us, relying on Him and His power.  

We need always to be reminding ourselves of who we are because we are in Christ Jesus.  We are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37), overcomers because He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world (I John 4:4), etc., etc.  This has been dealt with in previous blogs.  (I also wrote a blog a couple of years ago about our “default” mode of always wanting to live under a cloud of self-condemnation.)

But, let’s rejoice in the victory Jesus won for us.  Let’s walk around aware of exactly Who is living inside of us.  Let’s enjoy our life, living it with “no condemnation...according to the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus...free from the law of sin and death.”

How Much More...

 We were driving the other day and listening to Dr. Andrew Farley do an overview of the book of Hebrews.  He came to chapter 9 and verses13 and 14:  "For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" and the little phrase "how much more" caught my attention.

Certainly, the cleansing provided by the shed blood of Jesus cleanses so much more than the blood of the Old Testament sacrifices.  But I was suddenly curious about where else that "how much more" phrase shows up.  I'll give you a few instances.

In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches "what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?  If you, then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" (Matthew 7:9-11).  Paul has the same idea in Romans 8:32:  "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"  This heavenly Father of ours is"the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning" and "every good and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from (Him)" (James 1:17).  We are instructed to trust in "the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy" (I Timothy 6:17).  

In Matthew 12:12, Jesus faced the challenge of the Jews who asked "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"  His response was, "What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out?  Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep?  Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath."  He said a similar thing in Luke 12:22-31:  "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.  Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.  Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse or barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds?...Consider the lilies, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin ; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?  And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind.  For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.  But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you."  With prices on everything we need soaring out of control, it is important to focus on, trust and praise the God who has promised to take care of us.  He is our Good Shepherd.

And the greatest "how much more" is probably in Romans 5:17, which says, "For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!"  The one man, Adam, with his one trespass, caused spiritual death to reign for generations after him.  But then Jesus came, providing "God's abundant provision of grace and...the gift of righteousness" and we can now "reign in life" because of Him.

Hallelujah and praise the Lord!  Jesus told His disciples, "In the world you will have tribulation  (or trouble) but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33)  .We have troubles in this life but how much more has God given us all we need to walk in victory, fully supplied to face every need and trial!

Yahweh

 When we see in many of our translations God referred to as LORD all in capital letters, the Hebrew word there is "Yahweh".  My concordance translates that as "He who is" and in Vine's Expository Dictionary, part of the description is "God who exists".  This is the self-existent, uncreated, infinite, eternal God.

That's the "LORD" referred to in Psalm 23:1; Yahweh is the one who is my shepherd.  He leads me and guides me, protects me and provides for me.  He even has me eating feasts in the very presence of my enemies.  Because He is always with me, even in the valley of the shadow of death, "I will fear no evil."  My future is secure as "surely (no doubt about it) (His) goodness and mercy follow me all the days of my life" and in the "forever", I will dwell right in His house. 

Jesus proclaimed Himself as the "I Am" a good number of times in the gospels.  We have His seven "I am" statements in John:  "I am the bread of life" (6:35), "I am the light of the world" (8:12), "I am the door of the sheep" (10:7), "I am the good shepherd" (10:11),  "I am the resurrection and the life" (11:25), "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (14:6), "I am the true vine...I am the vine" (15:1, 5).  That is a pretty comprehensive list describing who He is.

My husband once worked with a Muslim who tried to claim that Jesus never claimed to be the Son of God.  Jesus not only repeatedly called God His Father, but by calling Himself the "I Am", He referred to Himself as God.  One instance where He had the Pharisees incensed because He used the "I AM" as an indication that He was God, and they considered it blasphemy is recorded in John 8:56 (Jesus is speaking to the Jews):  "'Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.'  Then the Jews said to Him, 'You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?'  Jesus said to them, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.'  Then they took up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by."

We find a similar assertion when the soldiers came to arrest Him in the garden of Gethsemane with Judas as their guide.  When Jesus asked, "Whom are you seeking?"  they answered, "Jesus of Nazareth."  Jesus' reply as recorded in most of our English translations is, "I am He".  Some translations have the "He" (or "he") in italics, indicating that that word is not in the original Greek.  A few translations like the International Standard version, the Literal Standard version, and the New American Bible simply translated it directly as "I am" (John 18:5).  This statement was so full of power that the whole crowd "drew back and fell to the ground."  Again, Jesus was declaring that He was God.

Knowing that we have our Yahweh always with us, that Jesus our LORD resides in us by His Spirit, is enough to give us rest and confidence no matter what we face.  Yahweh is our good shepherd.

A Parent's Pleasure

 It has always been one of my great joys as a parent to see that my children get along with each other.  It has been a delight throughout the years to hear them laugh together, when they were children and now that they are adults.  I know it is a grief to parents when they see their children being unkind and cold, dismissive or even abusive to one of the other children.

I have no doubt that the heavenly Father feels this way also.  He said in Psalm 133:1, "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity."  He also said in Ephesians 4:31, 32, "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.  Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."  

When Saul was arrested on the road to Damascus, we read this interesting narrative:  "As he journeyed, he came near Damascus and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.  Then he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?'  And he said, 'Who are You, Lord?'  Then the Lord said, 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting...'"  Jesus took Saul's treatment of His children very personally.

In Matthew 25, Jesus taught that when you feed the hungry, or give drink to the thirsty, or clothe the naked or visit those who are sick or in prison, you are doing it to Him (v. 40) and when you don't do these things, "...inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me" (v.45).

Long ago, a brother-in-law grievously wronged us financially.  My husband found it very hard to forgive him and there was a long-time rift, but eventually Eric learned to start praying blessing down on that brother.  Not long before my father-in-law died, he had the joy of seeing these two brothers reunited.

Matthew 18 includes a parable about a servant whose master forgave him a huge debt (10,000 talents which in my Bible footnotes is $3,840,000,000), but who then refused to forgive a fellow servant a much, much smaller debt (100 denarii or $3,200).  How often are we like that servant, forgetting that our own sin nailed Jesus to a cross, and refusing to forgive our brothers and sisters for a grievance that is minuscule in comparison?  How we hold ourselves high in our "righteous indignation" which is usually not righteous at all!  How we work at punishing them for all the real or imagined wrongs that we hold against them!

My Proverbs devotional has focused on forgiveness for the past 2 days, based on Proverbs 24:29:  "Do not say, 'I'll do to them as they have done to me.  I'll pay them back for what they did."  Did you see that?  The devotional says, "Proverbs says to deliberately refuse the thought - do not say it..."  It goes on, "Forgiveness is a commitment not to (pay them back)...first by refusing to hurt the person directly...Second, by refusing to cut the person down to others (even by) innuendo or hint or gossip or direct slander...Finally, don't continually replay the memories of the wrong in your imagination in order to keep the sense of loss and hurt fresh..."

Let's keep in mind that your heavenly Father cares about how you treat His other children.  He takes it personally.  As you do to the least of them, you do to Him.

Give your heavenly Father pleasure by "dwelling in unity", by forgiving "as God in Christ forgave you."  

An important clarification on "Praying in the Spirit"...

 I realize that, in my blog of a few weeks ago, on the subject of praying in the Spirit, I should have made a prerequisite clear.  Not only must you, of course, be born again, but also you need to have been baptized in/filled with/received the Holy Spirit.

In my own case, I was born again as a fairly young child, probably aged 8 or 9.  But as a young mother, I was reading in Luke one night and came across Luke 11:13:  "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?"  I thought, "I've never asked for the Holy Spirit."  And so I did.  In the next few days, I experienced such an assurance of my salvation, and such a new interest in the Word, that it was clear this was some kind of real experience.  Not long after that, I came across a book about the Holy Spirit and was introduced to the possibility that I could speak/pray in tongues.

Jesus' ministry here on earth was introduced when John the Baptist announced, "I indeed baptize you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit" (Mark 1:8).  Then, when Jesus came to John to be baptized in water, "immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.  Then a voice came from heaven, 'You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased'" (Mark 1:10, 11).  

After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples over a period of 40 days, and on the day He was to ascend to heaven, He reminded them "not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, 'which,' He said, ' you heard from Me.  For John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now'"(Acts 1:4, 5).  On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was initially poured out on the believers as "divided tongues as of fire...sat upon each of them.  And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:3, 4).  These were all Jewish believers.

In the book of Acts, in some of the instances where people spoke in tongues, two things happened first.  First, of course, was that they believed in Jesus and His death, resurrection and complete work on the cross.  Secondly, the Holy Spirit had come upon them or they were baptized in or filled with or specifically received the Holy Spirit.  This could happen at the same time as they received Jesus, or subsequently.

When the first Gentiles had this experience, Peter was preaching to them the truth about Jesus and His resurrection, confirming that "'whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.'  While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word.  And those of the circumcision (Jews) who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.  For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.  Then Peter answered, 'Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?'..." (Acts 10:43-48).

By that time, Philip had already been preaching Christ in Samaria with great success as "the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.  For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed.  And there was great joy in that city...But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized" (Acts 8:6-8, 12).  They were obviously true believers at this point.  The story continues in verses14-17:  "Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit.  For as yet He had fallen upon none of them.  They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.  Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit." 

As born-again believers, we have the Holy Spirit within us (1 Corinthians 6:19,  2 Timothy 1:14).  The baptism in or with the Holy Spirit, or the infilling of the Holy Spirit is a separate experience, which can happen at the same time as the new birth or any time after. 

Similarly, speaking in tongues can come at the same time as this baptism in the Spirit, or any time afterward, when we ask for it and receive it in faith.

So, hopefully I have fixed an important gap that I left in that blog on "Praying in the Spirit" and I would love to hear from any of you who receive and begin to practise this gift.

Our Rejoicing Jesus

 You may have heard it said that the angels rejoice when a sinner repents, but the actual verse says, "there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (Luke 15:10 NIV).  So if it's not the angels who are doing the rejoicing, but it's in their presence, who is doing the rejoicing?  My husband used to wonder if it was Jesus up there doing cartwheels.

We do know that He, "for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame" (Hebrews 12:2).  So the knowledge that so many millions of people over the centuries would come to Him for the salvation that He had bought and paid for, and which He offers to every individual, caused enough joy that He could endure all that He suffered for us.

Zephaniah 3:17 was given to me just a few days after Eric's funeral.  It says, "The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save.  He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."   I always loved the idea of Him rejoicing over me.

But today, I got a new layer.  I was looking something up in Jude and then just read to the end where there is this beautiful benediction.  It's obviously always been there, and who knows how many times I have read it, but today something new registered.  Verses 24 and 25:  "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever.  Amen."  I said, "Hallelujah" and "Thank You, Jesus" about the fact that He is there to keep me from stumbling, and I am eternally thankful about the fact that I am faultless in the sight of God because I have been washed with Jesus' perfect cleansing blood.  That is another truth too big for my mind.  But the picture of Him presenting me before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy and rejoicing, with exultation, triumphant joy and unspeakable delight (according to other translations), has me entirely mind-boggled.  You may have seen a young man introducing a new bride to someone with a delight and pride that he doesn't even try to hide.  That is how I see Jesus, bringing me forward to present me before the glory of the holy and righteous Father, but with not the slightest idea of embarrassment, having made me faultless, blameless, without blemish, and He's doing it with joy and delight.  Too wonderful.

Precious Father God, thank You, thank You, thank You...for devising such a plan that You could not only bring me to Yourself, but make me so entirely holy that I am completely acceptable in Your presence, that I can approach Your throne anytime without guilt or shame or fear or condemnation.  Thank You for actually rejoicing over me.  How this knowledge makes me love You!  In the name of Jesus, whose blood has made me clean.  Amen.

Words can pierce

 My Timothy Keller devotional based on Proverbs starts today with Proverbs 12:18 and 18:21:  "The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing...The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit."  He goes on to say, "You are not wise unless you fully grasp the power of words. Words pierce like swords - they get into your heart and soul.  When you say a hurtful word, you can never make things as if it had never been uttered...The wound may heal but the...scar remains..."

My daughter-in-law texted me this Father's Day morning to say she was especially missing Dad today, but was thankful for all the good memories.  He had spoken many words of blessing over her, so she could now say that she has those good memories.

We were pretty young when we got married and certainly not mature, so I'm really glad that early on we received teaching on the power of our words to curse or to bless, to hurt or to heal, to harm or to help.  My husband was a very self-confident man of strong character, strong principles, strong opinions (!), but it was clear to me that I could bring him down and wound him severely with my words, which had sometimes happened before I learned what I'm telling you now.  We had 50 years of a (mostly) really good marriage for a large part because we (mostly) practised Ephesians 4:29:  "Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification (building up) that it may impart grace to the hearer."

Psalm 34:12, 13:  "Who is the one who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good?  Keep your tongue from evil..."  Proverbs 21:23:  "Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles."

Happy Father's Day to you, and may this year be better than all the ones that have come before, because you "keep your tongue from evil".

Praying in the Spirit

 In Ephesians 6, we have the parts of the armour of God listed, starting in verse 14, and they are:  the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, shoes of the preparation of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.  But in my Bible, there is no period after "the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God", but rather a comma, so that it continues with "praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end  with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints..."

What is this "praying in the Spirit"?  

Some have suggested it means to pray with the Holy Spirit's guidance.  No doubt, it includes that.

But in 1 Corinthians 14, Paul equates praying in or with the Spirit with praying in tongues.  (The word "tongues" here has nothing to do with the tongue in your mouth; it refers to languages.) "For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my understanding is unfruitful.  What is the conclusion then?  I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding.  I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding" (verses 14 and 15).  I have found that I can be praying in the spirit under my breath while I am concentrating on something, talking with someone, or having my mind otherwise occupied.  My mind is not required for me to pray in the spirit.

I have heard tongues dismissed as being "a lesser gift", according to the list at the end of 1 Corinthians 12:  "And God has appointed these in the church:  first, apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps administrations, varieties of tongues" (verse 28).  And then 1 Corinthians 14:5 says, "I wish you all spoke with tongues, but even more that you prophesied, for he who prophesies is greater than he who speaks with tongues..."  Paul acknowledges that "in the church, I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue" (1 Corinthians 14:13).  However, even if it may be a lesser gift, do we allow ourselves to sneer at any gift that God may offer?

But Paul makes a clear differentiation between tongues in public and tongues in our private prayer times.  He says we are "giving thanks well" when we pray with the spirit, "but the other is not edified" and "I thank God I speak in tongues more than you all; yet in the church..."  "Whenever you come together...if anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or three at the most, each in turn, and let one interpret.  But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in the church and let him speak to himself and to God" (verses 17-19, 26, 27-28).

So, why speak or pray in tongues in our personal faith life?

We've already noted that Paul says, in doing so, he gives thanks well.  Verse 2 says, "...he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men, but to God..."  That's prayer!  Verse 4 says, "...he who speaks in a tongue edifies himself..."  Who doesn't need to be edified (built up)?  In the book of Jude, verses 20 and 21, "praying in the Holy Spirit" is connected with "building yourselves up on your most holy faith" and "keep(ing) yourselves in the love of God."  (We know that His love for us never wanes or disappears, but our awareness of it does.)  I've just given you a list of vital advantages!

Then, we have the people who say, "Well, I've asked for the gift of tongues but never got it."  Over the years, we saw many people receive when we pointed out that, in Acts 2:4 "they began to speak" -that was their part, "as the Holy Spirit gave them utterance" (or "enabled them to speak" according to the ESV) -that was His part.  If this is a gift from God that Paul wished everyone had, then we should approach in faith when we ask for it.  Expect that the Holy Spirit will still be giving the utterance or enabling, but don't expect Him to push air out of your lungs past your vocal chords.  You have to do the actual speaking, and that is purely a step of faith.  You start to speak, not in words you understand, but with words that He brings up from your innermost spirit.  I know this could sound somewhat intimidating, but we never have to be shy with our God.  He's not going to roll His eyes, or hide a smirk behind His hand.  He'll be applauding, like we do when our little children start trying to speak.

I encourage you to go for it!  You will be giving thanks well, speaking to God, getting built up in your spirit and on your most holy faith, and keeping yourself in the love of God.  It's a win-win offer.

Praying

 Recently, when I read through the book of Acts looking specifically at every mention of prayer, I was supposed to ask these 3 questions at each instance:  (1) what did they pray?, (2) how long did  they pray? and especially (3) what would have happened if they didn't pray?

There are instances where the prayer is actually pretty much recorded, so we know what they prayed and about how long they prayed (Acts 1:24-25; 4:24-30; 7:59,60; 8:15) and others where we don't really don't know the answers to those 2 questions (13:3; 16:25; 21:5; 28:8).  

The haunting question, though, is the third one...what would have happened if they hadn't prayed?  How many things have not happened because we haven't prayed?  In a blog not long ago, I was quoting the lyrics of the song, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus", and pointed out the line "What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer."

I read an on-line devotional by Andrew Wommack, and yesterday's was titled "Petition, Not Repetition".  It was based on Mark 8:22-25..."Then He came to Bethsaida, and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him.  So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town.  And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything. And he looked up and said, 'I see men like trees, walking.' Then He put His hands on his eyes again, and made him look up.  And he was restored, and saw everyone clearly."  Here is much of the devotional:

"It is unusual for Jesus to inquire about the results of His ministry as He did in verse 23.  It was even more unusual that Jesus laid hands on this man a second time.  This is the only example in the New Testament where Jesus had to minister to any need more than once to affect a total healing.

"Many people request things from God and then look at their circumstances to see if God answered their prayer.  That is walking by sight and not by faith.  If they can't 'see' God's answer, then they pray again asking for the same thing.  This is not the way Jesus taught us to pray and receive.  We can be certain that Jesus didn't lay hands on this man a second time because He thought His Father hadn't heard Him the first time.  Since the man received partial sight, it is evident that God's healing power was at work in him.  Jesus was not petitioning the Father again for healing.  Through His spirit, Jesus knew that unbelief was hindering a perfect manifestation of God's power in this man, and He simply gave him another 'dose' of the anointing power of God.

"Satan may hinder, but cannot overcome someone who continues resisting him.  Believe that you receive when you pray and continue to apply the power of God..."

In Acts 9:40, Peter has been brought in to raise up a dead woman in Joppa, and he "put them all out, and knelt down and prayed.  And turning to the body he said, 'Tabitha, arise.'  And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat sup."  We don't know what he prayed, nor how long he prayed, but it seems highly likely that she wouldn't have been raised from the dead if he hadn't.  Did he pray for his own faith to overcome any hints of unbelief, or for leading in exactly how God wanted him to proceed, or something else?

If we look at our own prayers, they are probably quite different from any prayers in the Bible.  We don't see Paul's prayers ever being "bless me" or "bless this or that" or "be with me' and yet that is what I hear people praying all the time.  Paul's prayers in the book of Ephesians would be wonderful ones for us to imitate...for "the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of (God), the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, (so) that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of His inheritance in the saints (that's us) and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe..." and "that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory (and not according to our own level of performance) to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height - to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God" (Ephesians 1:17-19 and 3:16-19).  

So this is a bit of a kick in the butt for myself and the rest of you to be "continuing steadfastly in prayer" (Romans 12:12) and "in everything by prayer and supplication, with (plenty of) thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God...(Philippians 4:6), to believe the faithful promises of God and not keep checking in with our circumstances and symptoms, and to remember, if we don't pray, we can't expect results.

(Again, in quoting the Scriptures, I have added parenthetical comments, italics, and whatever!)

Scourged

 I've just been watching Rick Renner on Daystar TV reading from his book, "Paid in Full", a section describing the practice of Roman scourging.  I'm transcribing what I'm hearing.  May we ponder the unspeakable suffering Jesus endured even before going to the cross, and recognize its meaning for us.  We tend to just read over "he (Pilate) scourged Jesus", and carry on, without stopping to understand what that meant.

"The word (scourged) was one of the most horrific words used in the ancient world because of the terrible images that immediately came to mind when a person heard that word.  When a decision was made to scourge an individual, first the victim's body was completely stripped naked so that his entire flesh would be open to the beating action of the whip.  Then the victim was bound to a two-foot high scourging post.  His hands were tied over his head to a metal ring and his wrists were secured to that ring to restrain his body from movement, and when in that locked position, the victim couldn't wiggle or move, trying to dodge the lashes that would be laid across his back, and across his body.  

"Romans were professionals at scourging.  They took special delight in the fact that they were the best at scourging people.  Once the victim was harnessed to the post and stretched over it, the Roman soldiers began to put them through torture...    

"The scourge was made of a short wooden handle with several long pieces of leather protruding from it, and at the ends of these pieces of leather were sharp pieces of metal, glass, wire and jagged fragments of bones.  It was considered to be one of the most feared and deadly weapons of the entire Roman world.  It was so ghastly that the mere threat of a scourge could calm a crowd or bend the will of even the strongest rebel.  Even the most hardened criminals recoiled from the idea of being submitted to the beating of a Roman scourge.  

"Most often, two torturers were used to carry out the punishment.  Simultaneously, they lashed the victim from both sides, and, as the dual whips struck the victim, the leather straps with their sharp, jagged objects descended and extended over his entire body.  Each piece of metal, wire, bone or glass cut deeply through the victim's skin and into the flesh, shredding muscles and sinews.  Every time the whip pounded across the victim, those straps of leather hurled around his torso, painfully biting into the flesh of his abdomen and upper chest.  Each stroke lacerated the sufferer.  He tried to thrash about but was unable to move because his wrists were so tied to the metal ring above his head.  Helpless to escape the whip, normally the victim would scream for mercy that the anguish might come to an end.  Every time the torturer struck a victim, the straps of leather attached to the wooden handle would cause multiple lashes.  The sharp objects at the end of each strap sank deep into the flesh and raked across the victim's body.  Then the torturer would jerk back and pull hard enough to tear out whole pieces of human flesh from the body.  The victim's back, buttocks, back of the legs, stomach and upper chest and face would soon be disfigured by the blows of the whip.  

"Historical records record that a victim's back could become so mutilated after a Roman scourge that his spine would actually be exposed.  Others recorded how the bowels of the victim would spill out through the open wounds created by the scourge.  The early church historian, Eusabias (?), wrote, 'The veins were laid bare.  The very muscles, sinews and bowels of the victim were open to exposure.'  With so many blood vessels sliced open by the whip, the victim would begin to experience a profuse loss of blood and bodily fluids.  The heart would pump harder and harder, struggling to get blood to the parts of the body that were bleeding profusely, that it was like pumping water through an open water hydrant.  There was nothing to stop the blood from pouring through the victim's open wounds.  This loss of blood caused the victim's blood pressure to drop drastically, and because of the massive loss of bodily fluids, he would experience excruciating thirst, often fainting from the pain , or going into shock, and frequently, the victim's heart beat would become so irregular that he would go into cardiac arrest.  

"According to Jewish law, the Jews were permitted to give 40 lashes to a victim, but because the fortieth lash usually proved fatal, the Jews would only give thirty-nine.  But the Romans had no limit to the number of lashes they gave a victim, and the scourging Jesus experienced was at the hands of Romans, not Jews.  It is entirely possible, even probable, that Jesus received more than forty lashes across his body...

"So, when the Bible tells us Jesus was scourged, we know exactly what kind of beating Jesus received that night.  What toll did the whip exact on Jesus' body?  The New Testament doesn't tell us exactly, but Isaiah 52:14 says, 'As many as saw Him were amazed.  His visage was so marred, more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men.'  If we take this Scripture literally for what it says, we conclude that Jesus' physical body was marred nearly beyond recognition." 

Why is any of that important to us?  Peter tells us in 1 Peter 2:24 that "by (His) stripes you were healed"...

The word for "healing" that Peter uses is "iaomai".  In our New Testament, it is translated as "heal" 26 times, and "make whole" twice.  (In most instances, the reference is to physical healing, although there are a few references that could refer to spiritual/emotional/mental healing.)  Jesus endured all that extra suffering so we could be healed and made whole.  

When Jesus, at the last supper, took the bread and broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you", He meant it would be really, really broken, as we have now seen.  Remember that whenever you take communion.  Drink of the fruit of the vine to remember His blood, which bought us the new covenant of grace and forgiveness and new life, but take the broken bread to remember that He suffered for our total healing, physical as well as spiritual.

Isaiah 53:5:  "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed."

Critic or participant?

 Today's post is aimed at me as much as anyone.  It was inspired by a zoom broadcast by a ministry called "Ultimate Impact" that I listened to this morning.

I have told you that I can be classified as a "lyrics nazi" when it comes to praise and worship music.  What I've realized is that I can be too critical.

People criticize the praise and worship at their churches for many reasons:  it's too slow or too fast, it's too long, it repeats the bridge too many times, it's a bit off-key, somebody's voice doesn't appeal to me, the musicians or sound technicians messed up, there is no mention of the specific name of Jesus, people clap or don't clap, raise their hands or don't raise their hands, there are too many new songs being introduced or we never sing any new songs, and on and on.

What I would like to remind myself and the rest of you who read this is that we shouldn't be looking to the praise and worship leaders and team to be responsible for how well we worship at any particular church service.  We need to connect with God for ourselves, direct our words to Him, turn our eyes toward Him, remembering that the reason we love Him is because He first loved us (I John 4:19), and that we give Him thanks because every single "good and perfect gift" in our lives "is from above and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning" (James 1:17), that He is worthy of our praise whether conditions are perfect or not, and also whether we really feel like worshiping or not.  He accepts a "sacrifice of praise" (Hebrews 13:16) when it takes some determination and effort, and even if we are giving thanks through our tears as much as when we are singing gladly and freely.

It's not like God needs our praise to bolster His self-image, or for any other reason.  He is worthy of every bit of our praise but doesn't need it. We do need to praise.  It turns our attention from ourselves, our feelings, our issues, our problems and onto Jesus, our wonderful, beautiful, perfect Saviour.  It reminds us that our God, our Lord, our Father, our Creator is more than enough.

A song was introduced in our church last Sunday ("Jireh" by Elevation Worship), and some of the lyrics are:

Jireh, You are enough.  Jireh, You are enough.

I will be content in every circumstance.

Jireh, You are enough.

Forever enough, always enough,

More than enough.

I’m already loved, I’m already chosen.

I know who I am, I know what You’ve spoken.

I’m already loved more than I could imagine,

And that is enough, that is enough.

If He dresses the lilies with beauty and splendour

How much more will He clothe you, how much more will He clothe you!

If He watches over every sparrow, how much more does He love you, 

How much more does He love you!

Jireh, You are enough...

(If you're not familiar with the word "Jireh", it is part of one of the compound Hebrew names of God, "Jehovah Jireh" which means "the Lord who provides".  Read it in Genesis 22:14.)

So, in church, let's not be the critics, but the participants, adding to the atmosphere of praise to a God who deserves all praise.

Yes, Jesus Loves Me

In Joseph Prince's book, "The Power of Right Believing", he tells the story "of a minister from Oregon who was assigned to provide counseling in a state mental institution.  His first assignment was to a padded cell that housed deranged, barely clothed patients...He couldn't even talk to the inmates, let alone counsel them - the only responses he got were groans, moans and demonic laughter.  Then the Holy Spirit prompted him to sit in the middle of the room and for a full hour sing the famous children's hymn that goes, 'Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.  Little ones to Him belong.  They are weak but He is strong.'  Nothing happened at the end of that first day, but he persisted.  For weeks he would sit and sing the same melody with greater conviction each time:  'Yes, Jesus loves me!  Yes, Jesus loves me!  Yes, Jesus loves me!  The Bible tells me so.'  As the days passed, patients began singing with him one by one.  Amazingly, at the end of the first month, thirty-six of the severely ill patients were transferred from the high-dependency ward to a self-care ward.  Within a year, all but two were discharged from the mental institution."

That sounds a little fantastic, but what a difference the conviction that God/Jesus really and truly loves me makes!  To know that the constant, consistent love He has for me comes from who He is and not from my present state or level of performance is so freeing.  To know that He, in the middle of caring about every one of the billions of people on this earth, has time and interest to hear every detail I want to share with Him is humbling, but liberating.  Driving down the road, with no one in the car but Jesus and me, is a great time to just talk to Him.  He's always going with me wherever I'm going anyway, and He is always listening.  Plus, when I have a question, and I shut up long enough for Him to get through to me, He has answers for me.  

I've mentioned before how I hate some of the "Christian" music out there that gives the impression we have to wait for His presence or reach out for Him or whatever when the truth is He is always right there and inviting us "to His throne of grace where we obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16).  In my Joyce Meyer devotional for today, I read "God is with you always...God is with you right now!  Believe it and start to enjoy each moment.  The present moment may not be perfect - it may even be painful - but recognizing that God is present with you will comfort and encourage you... You don't need to search for God any longer...He is in this moment!"

Sometimes one of those songs I complain about wants to get stuck in my head.  I have always used a little chorus, "I love You, Jesus, I adore Your name.  I love You, Jesus, I adore Your name.  Hallelujah!  I worship You.  Hallelujah!  I worship You", as my default go-to song to change what was running through my head.  But now, thinking about the powerful fact that "Jesus loves me!  This is know" and I know this because His unchanging Word tells me so, I am going to go to that little chorus to change the unwanted themes that sometimes run through my head.  I can never be reminded enough of "Yes, Jesus loves me!"

The Need for Unity

 I'm reading through the book of Acts 8 times in a row right now, each time looking for and underlining different words.  The first time, it was the resurrection.  I hadn't noticed before how the apostles "preached the resurrection."  (Those references are now underlined in green.) Then, I was looking for "the Spirit" or "the Holy Spirit" (that's all underlined in purple) and this time through I'm looking for "the Name".  

One of the things I have noticed in previous readings is how the subject of unity keeps popping up.  Read Acts 1:14; 2:1, 46; 4:24, 32; 15:25.  The followers of Jesus were "in unity", "in one accord", "of one heart and one soul", etc. What was the result? 

The church grew and multiplied, literally exploded!  On the day of Pentecost, when Peter stood up in boldness and under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, we read, "those who gladly received his word were baptized, and the day about three thousand souls were added to them" (Acts 2:41).  At the end of the chapter, it says, "the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved".  In chapter 4:4, "the number...grew to about five thousand".  Acts 5:14 says, "Believers were increasingly added to the Lord, crowds of both men and women..." and 6:7 says, "So the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples grew rapidly in Jerusalem, and a great number of the priests were obedient to the faith."  After Stephen was martyred, great persecution began in Jerusalem against the believers, so they were scattered far and wide, finally carrying out the commission of Jesus to be His witnesses "in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth"  (Acts 1:8).

Paul, in his missionary journeys, caused glad reception and angry rejection all over the place.  In the city of Thessalonica, "according to his custom, Paul went in, and on three Sabbaths he lectured to them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and to rise from the dead (I told you they preached the resurrection all the time) and saying, 'This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.'  Some of them were persuaded and joined with Paul and Silas, including a great crowd of devout Greeks and many leading women.  But the Jews who did not believe became jealous and...gathered a crowd, stirred up the city" against Paul and Silas and the followers of Jesus.  Notice what their accusation was:  "These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also."

I am thoroughly convinced that our lack of unity is one huge reason we don't see the growth that the early church saw, and we are not "turning the world upside down". 

I remember hearing a pastor saying how the city-wide group of pastors he met with regularly for prayer and fellowship began to discuss differences in their doctrines, to the point where he didn't want to attend their gatherings anymore. They finally agreed to discuss and share only about those things they agreed on, and these were many, and they were again able to enjoy and be built up from their time together.

A friend forwarded this from Mindful Christianity this morning:

We quarrel over baptism, church membership, and our doctrines. Instead of living by the spirit, we slice and cut up others who do not believe like us. We analyze everything theologically to determine who is right. We are human scalpels dissecting and labeling every piece of theology that does not fit into what we believe.

So, I would like to encourage unity.  Don't get all tied in knots about who believes exactly like you, who believes in following the government restrictions exactly or who doesn't, etc., etc.  We need to be careful about wanting to remove splinters from other people's eyes while we have beams in our own.

Jesus prayed for unity.  "Holy Father, through Your name, keep those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are one...I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word (that's us, folks) that they may all be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You.  May they also be one in Us, that the world may believe that you have sent Me.   I have given them the glory which You gave Me, that they may be one even as We are one; I in them, and You in Me, that they may be perfect in unity, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me" (John 17:11, 20-23).

We are one with Jesus and the Father, and the Spirit resides within us.  We have been given their glory.   We have the Word, the name of Jesus and His power.

We can do this.

Little Tips

 I frequently wake up at about 5 in the morning, and lie awake then for quite a while.  I have decided to use that time to sit up in bed and read my devotional books, and if I'm not getting sleepy yet, to read my Bible.  I have 3 devotional books on the go right now, plus I receive a daily email devotional.  Each takes only a few minutes, unless something catches my attention and causes me to stop and meditate on it.

One of the books is "My Time with God" by Joyce Meyer.  The past 3 mornings all had some practical nuggets that I want to pass along.

February 23: "Love God"

"Tell the Lord often that you love Him!...God's love is continually flowing toward us, and we can experience that love by receiving it, and then giving it back to Him in words that express our heart.  'I love You, Lord' is usually one of the first things I say when I wake up each morning.  If you don't already do that, you should consider trying it!  I think the Lord loves to hear us say that to Him, just as we love to hear our children tell us that they love us."

February 24:  "Has Your Get-Up-and-Go Got Up and Gone?"

We all have times when we get tired of doing whatever it is that we need to do every day.  "No matter what your position is in life, there will be days when you will not feel like doing it...but often we just need to stir ourselves up and get going again.  We need to do it purposely instead of waiting for a feeling to show up and motivate us to action again."  And she lists three things that help her get going again.  First is gratitude.  Counting her blessings, being amazed at how good God has been in her life makes her life brighter, and gives her energy.  Secondly she mentions having an expectation of good..."we can aggressively expect something good to happen" and she quotes David in Psalm 27: 13:  "I would have lost heart unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living."  A third thing that she says energizes her is to look around for ways to be a blessing to someone else, which gets her mind off herself and how she's feeling.  "Before long I find myself enthusiastic about life and excited to resume my service to the Lord."

February 25:  "Be Content"

We spend a lot of time with the attitude of "I'll be happy when..."  For us in Manitoba right now, it's "I'll be happy when it's not so cold, when the snow is gone, when the days are longer, when school is out, when the restrictions are discontinued..."  But actually we can choose to be happy right now if we want to.  "Contentment should be based not on where I am or what I am doing, but on knowing that wherever I am, God is with me!  He is our place in life, and in Him, we can find joy and contentment.  You might not enjoy being at work as much as you do being at home, but you can be just as joyous either place.  What we enjoy is determined by what is happening around us, but our joy is determined by the attitude we decide to have in life..."

I hope those little tips turned your heart in a good direction.  We all need little reminders now and then to nudge us along.

Willing and Able

 Here's the song that has been insistently floating around in my head today:

Dare to Believe (written by Ray Boltz and Steve Milliken; my recording is by Charlie and Jill LeBlanc)

You’re standing at a mountain that you know you cannot climb.

Your enemy’s approaching; you hear him coming from behind.

There is trouble all around you.  There’s no place to run away

But there’s a voice that’s deep inside you saying, “It’s time to stand in faith.”

Chorus:  I dare to believe that miracles happen, 

              That mountains still move and demons must flee

              For the God that we serve, He is much more than able

              So don’t be afraid, stand up and say, “I dare to believe.”

There’s a miracle inside you; it’s just a mustard seed of faith,

But by the mighty hand of God now, you know that tiny seed was placed.

And though this world may try to crush you, it can never keep you down.

Soon the life of God inside you will come breaking through the ground.

Bridge:  No matter what the doubters tell you, no matter what the devil says,

             No matter what anybody, anybody else does,

             You just keep trusting Jesus - you’ll see it won’t be long

             God is right and the doubters are wrong.

There a story in the gospel of Mark, chapter 9, about a man who brought his son who was subject to severe seizures to Jesus' disciples to be healed.  My Modern English Version said the boy had "a mute spirit.  Wherever it takes hold of him, it dashes him to the ground.  And he foams at the mouth and gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid."  But the father reported to Jesus, "I told Your disciples so that they would cast it out, but they could not...Often it has thrown him into the fire and into the water to kill him.  But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."  This man was not sure that Jesus could do anything for them.

In contrast, we have another story in Mark 1: 40-42 about a leper who came to Jesus.  He said, "If You are willing, You can make me clean."  His doubts were not related to Jesus' ability, but about His willingness.  

How did Jesus answer each of these?

In our first story, Jesus' response is, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."  He needed the man to have faith in Him.  The man's limited faith ("Lord, I believe.  Help my unbelief!") was enough.

The response Jesus gave the leper was, "I will (or "I am willing", or "It is My will").  Be clean."  Apparently, knowing that Jesus was willing gave the leper enough faith to receive also.  "As soon as (Jesus) had spoken, the leprosy immediately departed from him, and he was cleansed."

The father of the boy had that "mustard seed of faith" that the song mentions.  The leper is in the song too; he knew that "God is much more than able", but just needed to be assured it was His will.

It seems to me that this second scenario represents the way much of the church now prays for healing:  "If it be Thy will."  But if you think about it, you can see that Jesus never questioned God's will when it came to healing.  He clearly said that He was here to carry out the Father's will (John 4:34), and we are told that He was the "exact representation" or the "express image" of God (Hebrews 1:3).  So in healing everyone who came to Him, all the multitudes and all the individuals, He was doing the will of the Father.  He "went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him" (Acts 10: 38).  The only time He prayed, "If it be Thy will" was for Himself when He was struggling with the prospect of crucifixion, death, and separation from His Father.

When someone gets saved, we don't wait around to see how they feel or look before we assure them that they are truly saved.  We give them a promise from the Word, like Romans 10: 9:  "...if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."  

But when we pray for healing, we wait to see how the doctor's report goes, or how the symptoms respond before we call ourselves healed.  We walk by sight, instead of by faith.

Isaiah 53: 4 says, "Surely, He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows."  The word translated here as "griefs" is "choli" in the Hebrew, which was translated as "disease" 7 times, "grief" 4 times, ( 3 of them right here in Isaiah 53), "sickness" 12 times and "be sick" once (in the King James Version).  That it should have been translated as "sickness" is confirmed in the gospel of Matthew 8:16-17:  "When the evening had come...He healed all who were sick, to fulfill what was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, 'He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.'"

I would just like to encourage you to pray for healing, daring to believe not only that God is able, but also that He is willing.  Not just generally willing, but willing to heal you.  Find healing promises and hang onto them in spite of symptoms and negative reports, and start giving thanks in advance of the evidence.  Jesus is reaching out and putting His hand on you just like He did the leper, saying, "I am willing.  Be cleansed of your condition."

What a Friend!

 The song that was originally in my head when I woke up this morning was a useless Christmas song about the star.  So I suggested to the Lord that we could do better than that and what popped up next in my mind was the old hymn, "What a Friend We Have in Jesus."

So I looked up the lyrics and found to my amazement that, even though I have sung and/or heard the song countless times, there were lyrics there that I had never paid attention to.  As I worked my way slowly through the words, I became thoroughly blessed.  Let the lyrics speak to you, too, as you pay attention to its message all the way through.

What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!

Oh, what peace we often forfeit!  Oh, what needless pain we bear,

All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer!

It is so true that it is a privilege, but sometimes we think it's a chore.  And how true that we forfeit peace and bear needless pain when we try to carry our burdens on our own shoulders!

Have we trials and temptations?  Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged - take it to the Lord in prayer.

Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our every weakness - take it to the Lord in prayer.

Remembering that Jesus already knows all our weaknesses and still offers to share all our sorrows, and that He is such a faithful Friend should draw us into conversation with Him.

Are we weak and heavy-laden, cumbered with a  load of care?

Precious Saviour, still our refuge - take it to the Lord in prayer.

Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?  Take it to the Lord in prayer.

In His arms He’ll take and shield thee.  Thou wilt find a solace there.

Making prayer, not a formality, but a time of intimacy in which we can see ourselves shielded "in His arms" will make it much more valued.  

The site that I looked up had a fourth verse that I had never seen before and that is not in any of my hymn books.  Here it is...

Blessed Saviour, Thou hast promised Thou wilt all our burdens bear.

May we ever, Lord, be bringing all to Thee in earnest prayer.

Soon in glory bright, unclouded, there will be no need for prayer - 

Rapture, praise and endless worship will be our sweet portion there!

I think of our precious brother-in-law who recently went to be with Jesus, and the last two lines give joy in the middle of the grief.  He is presently experiencing nothing but rapture, praise and endless worship. I think his rich bass voice will be a great addition up there!

I listened to a YouTube message the other morning by Jimmy Evans, called "The Power of Peace."  He quoted Philippians 4: 6 & 7 (this is the Passion translation):  "Don't be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing.  Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude.  Tell Him every detail of your life; then God's wonderful peace, that transcends human understanding, will guard your heart and mind through Jesus Christ."  His point was that peace guards our hearts and minds, and peace comes by "taking everything to God in prayer"...faith-filled prayer "with overflowing gratitude."  Jimmy Evans was saying that faithless prayer is really only griping to God, and he gave an example of a grateful prayer of faith.  It goes like this, "Father, I thank You that You love me.  Thank You for hearing my prayers.  You care about every hair on my head, and every detail of my life.  I am thankful that I have such a loving Father to take care of me.  I'm coming to You now with my requests, not to inform You because I know You already know, but I'm coming to transfer the burden of these onto You.  I am just a sheep, which is not a burden-bearing animal like a donkey.  I'm giving these to You, Father, and I'm trusting You with all my issues."

I'll tie it up with 1 Peter 5: 5b - 7 (Passion translation again):  "God resists you when you are proud but multiplies grace and favor when you are humble.  If you bow low in God's awesome presence, He will eventually exalt you as you leave the timing in His hands.  Pour out all your worries and stress upon Him and leave them there, for He always tenderly cares for you."  If we are humble enough to admit that only He has the answers for us, and to give our cares to Him, then we will find He is our refuge, our precious Saviour, our solace, our shield.  What a Friend!